Top 500 Chinese Characters
最常用五百个汉字
The 500 most common Chinese characters, ranked by their frequency in written Chinese: past this point, reading real Mandarin stops being a decoding exercise. Work through the list in frequency order and every character you learn is one you will meet again on the very next page — the most efficient route a Chinese learner can take toward reading and writing with confidence.
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The full list
500 most common Chinese characters, in frequency order
Every character links to its own page with stroke order, pinyin and example words.
| # | Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 的 | de | [structural particle used after an attribute] |
| 2 | 一 | yī | one, a, an |
| 3 | 是 | shì | be |
| 4 | 了 | le | [aspect marker indicating realisation of a situation] |
| 5 | 不 | bù | no, not |
| 6 | 在 | zài | [indicating location or time, etc.] at, in |
| 7 | 人 | rén | person, human, man |
| 8 | 有 | yǒu | have, there be |
| 9 | 我 | wǒ | I, me |
| 10 | 这 | zhè | this |
| 11 | 个 | gè | [generalised measure word used for nouns without a specific measure term] |
| 12 | 他 | tā | he, him |
| 13 | 大 | dà | big, large |
| 14 | 上 | shàng | up, on, in |
| 15 | 来 | lái | [preceding a verb to indicate the intended or suggested action] |
| 16 | 要 | yào | want; order |
| 17 | 们 | men | [plural marker for pronouns and some animate nouns] |
| 18 | 说 | shuō | say, speak, tell |
| 19 | 到 | dào | go to, reach, arrive |
| 20 | 就 | jiù | [used for emphasis] just; then; at once |
| 21 | 为 | wèi | [introducing purpose, reason, beneficiary, etc.] for, because of |
| 22 | 会 | huì | can, know how to do |
| 23 | 地 | dì | [structural particle introducing an adverbial modifier] |
| 24 | 和 | hé | and |
| 25 | 以 | yǐ | by means of, with, in (some way); according to; because of |
| 26 | 出 | chū | out; produce; happen |
| 27 | 对 | duì | for, to, with regard to |
| 28 | 时 | shí | time when … |
| 29 | 家 | jiā | [measure word for families or businesses] |
| 30 | 也 | yě | also |
| 31 | 你 | nǐ | you |
| 32 | 生 | shēng | give birth to, bear; become (rusty, ill, etc.); light (a fire) |
| 33 | 中 | zhōng | in, within |
| 34 | 得 | dé | [structural particle used after a verb that introduces a complement showing effect] |
| 35 | 多 | duō | many, much, plentiful |
| 36 | 子 | zǐ | son, child |
| 37 | 后 | hòu | behind; after, later |
| 38 | 那 | nà | that |
| 39 | 过 | guò | [aspect marker indicating experience] |
| 40 | 自 | zì | from |
| 41 | 好 | hǎo | good, well |
| 42 | 能 | néng | can |
| 43 | 么 | me | [interrogative particle] |
| 44 | 可 | kě | but, yet |
| 45 | 下 | xià | under, below |
| 46 | 年 | nián | year |
| 47 | 发 | fā | send out, give out, distribute |
| 48 | 学 | xué | learn, study |
| 49 | 还 | hái | still, yet |
| 50 | 都 | dōu | all |
| 51 | 事 | shì | matter, thing |
| 52 | 去 | qù | go |
| 53 | 成 | chéng | become, turn into; succeed |
| 54 | 天 | tiān | [measure word for time] day |
| 55 | 着 | zhe | [aspect marker indicating a durative or ongoing situation] |
| 56 | 方 | fāng | side, party; square; direction |
| 57 | 现 | xiàn | now |
| 58 | 面 | miàn | face, surface; side; (wheat) flour |
| 59 | 作 | zuò | do |
| 60 | 里 | lǐ | in, inside |
| 61 | 没 | méi | not |
| 62 | 经 | jīng | through, by means of; by way of, via |
| 63 | 国 | guó | country, nation |
| 64 | 看 | kàn | look, view; look after |
| 65 | 开 | kāi | open; operate, drive (car), turn on (light); start (business); hold (meeting, party, etc.); (water) boil; write (cheque); (flower) blossom |
| 66 | 行 | xíng | trip; behaviour |
| 67 | 小 | xiǎo | small, little |
| 68 | 于 | yú | [indicating time, location, direction, etc.] in, at |
| 69 | 当 | dāng | just at (time or place) |
| 70 | 心 | xīn | heart; mind; core, centre |
| 71 | 而 | ér | and, yet |
| 72 | 之 | zhī | [archaic equivalent of structural particle 的] |
| 73 | 用 | yòng | use |
| 74 | 同 | tóng | [indicating relationship, involvement, comparison] with |
| 75 | 种 | zhǒng | [indicating species] kind, type |
| 76 | 道 | dào | [measure word for long and narrow objects, doors, orders, questions, dishes in a meal, and steps in a process, etc.] |
| 77 | 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 78 | 前 | qián | before; in front of |
| 79 | 问 | wèn | ask |
| 80 | 实 | shí | solid, firm; true, real, actual |
| 81 | 所 | suǒ | [particle preceding a verb to form a nominal structure] |
| 82 | 点 | diǎn | [measure word for point, item, etc.]; [measure word for small quantities] |
| 83 | 长 | cháng | long |
| 84 | 动 | dòng | move; arouse; change; use |
| 85 | 想 | xiǎng | think |
| 86 | 些 | xiē | some, an amount of |
| 87 | 起 | qǐ | get up, rise; up |
| 88 | 从 | cóng | from |
| 89 | 样 | yàng | [measure word for some material objects] type, sort |
| 90 | 两 | liǎng | two |
| 91 | 进 | jìn | enter; advance |
| 92 | 她 | tā | she, her |
| 93 | 分 | fēn | divide, separate, differentiate; distribute |
| 94 | 很 | hěn | very |
| 95 | 理 | lǐ | reason; natural science (in relation to humanities) |
| 96 | 主 | zhǔ | main, primary, principal |
| 97 | 定 | dìng | set, fix, decide; subscribe to (newspapers and periodicals, etc.) |
| 98 | 工 | gōng | work, labour; industry; project |
| 99 | 意 | yì | meaning, idea; intention, desire |
| 100 | 把 | bǎ | [ba-structure preposing the object] |
| 101 | 情 | qíng | feeling, passion, sentiment; condition, situation |
| 102 | 如 | rú | like, as, as if; such as |
| 103 | 正 | zhèng | just, precisely; just (in progress) |
| 104 | 全 | quán | whole, entire, complete |
| 105 | 最 | zuì | [superlative degree] most |
| 106 | 但 | dàn | but |
| 107 | 儿 | ér | [nonsyllabic suffix for retroflection, especially in the Beijing dialect] |
| 108 | 外 | wài | outside |
| 109 | 高 | gāo | tall, high |
| 110 | 什 | shén | what |
| 111 | 间 | jiān | [measure word for rooms] |
| 112 | 力 | lì | power, strength |
| 113 | 明 | míng | bright, light, clear; open, overt, explicit |
| 114 | 本 | běn | (one’s) own; this, current |
| 115 | 法 | fǎ | law; method, way, how-to |
| 116 | 话 | huà | word, talk, utterance |
| 117 | 者 | zhě | [suffix for nouns denoting persons] -ist, -er |
| 118 | 部 | bù | [measure word for machines and vehicles, etc.]; [measure word for books and films, etc.] |
| 119 | 女 | nǚ | female, woman |
| 120 | 等 | děng | et cetera |
| 121 | 业 | yè | trade, line of business; profession, occupation; estate, property; undertaking |
| 122 | 老 | lǎo | old, veteran |
| 123 | 已 | yǐ | already |
| 124 | 重 | zhòng | heavy |
| 125 | 公 | gōng | public; official business; father-in-law |
| 126 | 其 | qí | [third person singular or plural] his, her, its, their; that, such |
| 127 | 因 | yīn | because of, as a result of, according to |
| 128 | 文 | wén | script, language; essay, writing |
| 129 | 知 | zhī | know |
| 130 | 给 | gěi | to |
| 131 | 与 | yǔ | [indicating involvement or relationship] with |
| 132 | 己 | jǐ | self |
| 133 | 次 | cì | [measure word indicating number of repetitions or count of actions or events] times |
| 134 | 关 | guān | close, shut; turn off; concern, involve; shut in, lock up; (business) close down |
| 135 | 只 | zhī | only |
| 136 | 民 | mín | the people; civilian |
| 137 | 三 | sān | three |
| 138 | 又 | yòu | again, once again |
| 139 | 头 | tóu | head; end |
| 140 | 比 | bǐ | [used for comparison] than |
| 141 | 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 142 | 别 | bié | [negative imperative] don’t, had better not |
| 143 | 第 | dì | [numeral prefix forming ordinal numbers] |
| 144 | 回 | huí | return; reply; decline (invitation) |
| 145 | 活 | huó | live, survive |
| 146 | 体 | tǐ | body; style; system |
| 147 | 位 | wèi | [measure word for respectable people] |
| 148 | 做 | zuò | do, make |
| 149 | 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 150 | 无 | wú | have no, there be no |
| 151 | 化 | huà | [verb suffix] -ise, -ify |
| 152 | 打 | dǎ | beat, hit, strike; play; typewrite |
| 153 | 代 | dài | generation; historical period, dynasty |
| 154 | 机 | jī | machine |
| 155 | 表 | biǎo | watch; form, table |
| 156 | 电 | diàn | electricity, power; telegram, cable |
| 157 | 题 | tí | title; topic, subject; problem (in exam) |
| 158 | 相 | xiāng | each other |
| 159 | 见 | jiàn | see, meet |
| 160 | 先 | xiān | first, earlier |
| 161 | 名 | míng | [measure word for persons in general] |
| 162 | 果 | guǒ | fruit |
| 163 | 几 | jǐ | several; how much |
| 164 | 性 | xìng | property, disposition; sex |
| 165 | 将 | jiāng | [indicating a future happening] will, be going to |
| 166 | 常 | cháng | often, usually |
| 167 | 被 | bèi | [passive marker] |
| 168 | 新 | xīn | new |
| 169 | 少 | shǎo | few, rare |
| 170 | 应 | yìng | ought to, should; answer, respond, echo; comply with |
| 171 | 场 | chǎng | [measure word for processes or courses of occurrence such as rain, snow, illness, etc.] period, spell; [measure word for recreational or sports activities] show, match |
| 172 | 真 | zhēn | really |
| 173 | 军 | jūn | army |
| 174 | 向 | xiàng | [indicating direction] to, towards |
| 175 | 才 | cái | just |
| 176 | 身 | shēn | body |
| 177 | 合 | hé | shut; suit, agree; combine; add up to |
| 178 | 目 | mù | eye; list |
| 179 | 此 | cǐ | this |
| 180 | 认 | rèn | recognise; admit; resign oneself to |
| 181 | 总 | zǒng | always; anyway, certainly; sooner or later |
| 182 | 再 | zài | again |
| 183 | 干 | gān | work, do (a job) |
| 184 | 结 | jié | form; settle; tie, knit, knot; bear (fruit) |
| 185 | 口 | kǒu | [measure word for people in a family or village, and also for pigs, etc.]; [measure word for tool or instrument with an edge such as a sword]; [measure word for the amount held in mouth] mouthful |
| 186 | 解 | jiě | untie, undo; explain, solve |
| 187 | 产 | chǎn | produce, yield; reproduce |
| 188 | 世 | shì | the world; lifetime; era, age |
| 189 | 平 | píng | flat, level, even; calm; average, common |
| 190 | 完 | wán | finish, be over; (use) up |
| 191 | 书 | shū | book |
| 192 | 感 | gǎn | feel |
| 193 | 二 | èr | two |
| 194 | 放 | fàng | put, place; let go, let off; lay aside; show, play (movies, etc.) |
| 195 | 加 | jiā | add, increase; put in |
| 196 | 门 | mén | door, gate |
| 197 | 员 | yuán | (bound form) person engaged in a certain field of activity; (bound for… |
| 198 | 政 | zhèng | government, politics |
| 199 | 气 | qì | air; breath; gas |
| 200 | 信 | xìn | letter, mail |
| 201 | 走 | zǒu | walk; leave |
| 202 | 今 | jīn | today, now |
| 203 | 更 | gèng | [comparative degree] more |
| 204 | 并 | bìng | and, besides |
| 205 | 教 | jiào | teach |
| 206 | 内 | nèi | inside, within |
| 207 | 系 | xì | (academic) department; system, series |
| 208 | 记 | jì | keep in mind, memorise, remember; take note, write down |
| 209 | 反 | fǎn | oppose, combat; reverse; turn against |
| 210 | 它 | tā | [used for non-human things] it |
| 211 | 使 | shǐ | [often used in serial verb constructions] make, cause, enable |
| 212 | 入 | rù | enter |
| 213 | 车 | chē | car, vehicle; cart |
| 214 | 提 | tí | carry; put forward, raise; mention, ask; lift; promote |
| 215 | 接 | jiē | put together, join; receive, answer (call, letter, etc.); meet, pick up (somebody); extend, connect; catch (a ball, etc.) |
| 216 | 通 | tōng | open up by poking; understand, know; connect, communicate; lead to |
| 217 | 由 | yóu | by, from |
| 218 | 度 | dù | [measure word for temperature, angle, electricity, etc.] degree; kwh |
| 219 | 任 | rèn | appoint, occupy or take up a post; give free rein to |
| 220 | 社 | shè | society, club; agency |
| 221 | 受 | shòu | receive; be subject to, suffer; endure, bear |
| 222 | 让 | ràng | give way; let, make; allow |
| 223 | 思 | sī | think |
| 224 | 立 | lì | stand; erect, set up; establish |
| 225 | 难 | nán | difficult |
| 226 | 特 | tè | special, unusual |
| 227 | 西 | xī | west |
| 228 | 原 | yuán | former, original |
| 229 | 处 | chù | place; department |
| 230 | 日 | rì | day; the sun |
| 231 | 管 | guǎn | manage, run, administer; take care (of), care about |
| 232 | 制 | zhì | make, manufacture |
| 233 | 物 | wù | thing |
| 234 | 边 | biān | side; edge |
| 235 | 各 | gè | each |
| 236 | 报 | bào | newspaper |
| 237 | 展 | zhǎn | exhibition, display |
| 238 | 市 | shì | city, town; market |
| 239 | 路 | lù | road; distance |
| 240 | 该 | gāi | this, that, the mentioned |
| 241 | 听 | tīng | listen |
| 242 | 变 | biàn | change |
| 243 | 界 | jiè | the circle or world of |
| 244 | 战 | zhàn | fight |
| 245 | 队 | duì | team; queue |
| 246 | 办 | bàn | do |
| 247 | 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of… |
| 248 | 交 | jiāo | hand in, submit, deliver |
| 249 | 觉 | jué | feel; become aware |
| 250 | 件 | jiàn | [measure word for clothes, furniture, affairs, etc.] item, article |
| 251 | 直 | zhí | straight, directly; keep (doing something), continuously |
| 252 | 条 | tiáo | [measure word for things of a long and thin shape (e.g. string and river), pieces of writing (e.g. news, suggestions and regulations), or human life] |
| 253 | 四 | sì | four |
| 254 | 期 | qī | [measure word for things arranged by periods] issue (of a periodical) |
| 255 | 论 | lùn | discuss, talk about, expound; decide on |
| 256 | 怎 | zěn | how, why |
| 257 | 像 | xiàng | look like, resemble; look as if |
| 258 | 带 | dài | carry, bring, take |
| 259 | 品 | pǐn | taste, sample |
| 260 | 快 | kuài | fast, quick |
| 261 | 太 | tài | too, excessively; very |
| 262 | 呢 | ne | [particle used at the end of a question or declarative sentence to indicate mood] |
| 263 | 利 | lì | advantage; benefit, profit, gain |
| 264 | 风 | fēng | wind |
| 265 | 量 | liáng | quantity, amount, capacity |
| 266 | 非 | fēi | non- |
| 267 | 月 | yuè | moon; month |
| 268 | 十 | shí | ten |
| 269 | 资 | zī | money, capital, investment; endowment; qualifications |
| 270 | 东 | dōng | east |
| 271 | 每 | měi | each |
| 272 | 建 | jiàn | establish; construct, build |
| 273 | 保 | bǎo | protect, defend; guarantee; preserve, maintain; bail |
| 274 | 决 | jué | decide; (of a dam or dyke) burst |
| 275 | 往 | wǎng | towards |
| 276 | 神 | shén | god |
| 277 | 至 | zhì | arrive, reach |
| 278 | 住 | zhù | live, stay |
| 279 | 强 | qiáng | strong, powerful, better |
| 280 | 命 | mìng | life; fate, destiny; order |
| 281 | 告 | gào | tell, make known; sue |
| 282 | 流 | liú | flow |
| 283 | 司 | sī | department (in a ministry); firm, company |
| 284 | 清 | qīng | clear |
| 285 | 指 | zhǐ | mean, refer to; point to |
| 286 | 区 | qū | area, district |
| 287 | 师 | shī | teacher; person with a particular professional skill; division |
| 288 | 美 | měi | beautiful, pretty |
| 289 | 数 | shù | several |
| 290 | 声 | shēng | sound, noise; voice |
| 291 | 望 | wàng | have a look; hope |
| 292 | 亲 | qīn | close, intimate |
| 293 | 爱 | ài | love, like |
| 294 | 求 | qiú | beg, request, strike for, seek |
| 295 | 义 | yì | meaning, sense; justice, righteousness |
| 296 | 始 | shǐ | begin, start |
| 297 | 传 | chuán | pass on, spread; hand down |
| 298 | 谈 | tán | talk |
| 299 | 术 | shù | way, practice; (surgical) operation |
| 300 | 孩 | hái | (bound form) child |
| 301 | 改 | gǎi | change, revise, modify |
| 302 | 领 | lǐng | lead |
| 303 | 金 | jīn | gold, golden; metal; money |
| 304 | 吃 | chī | eat |
| 305 | 形 | xíng | shape, form |
| 306 | 叫 | jiào | name, call; shout; order (somebody to do something); order (meal, taxi, etc.) |
| 307 | 安 | ān | calm, at ease |
| 308 | 友 | yǒu | friend |
| 309 | 视 | shì | look; regard (… as) |
| 310 | 象 | xiàng | elephant; image, shape |
| 311 | 观 | guān | watch, look at |
| 312 | 识 | shí | know |
| 313 | 讲 | jiǎng | speak, tell |
| 314 | 何 | hé | what, how, when, where, why |
| 315 | 色 | sè | colour; countenance, look; type; female charm |
| 316 | 程 | chéng | rule; order; regulations; formula; journey; procedure; sequence |
| 317 | 院 | yuàn | courtyard; academy, institute, hospital |
| 318 | 收 | shōu | receive, collect; accept |
| 319 | 及 | jí | and |
| 320 | 近 | jìn | near |
| 321 | 或 | huò | or |
| 322 | 影 | yǐng | shadow, reflected image; trace; film |
| 323 | 百 | bǎi | hundred |
| 324 | 服 | fú | take (medicine); be convinced, obey |
| 325 | 式 | shì | type, style |
| 326 | 许 | xǔ | allow |
| 327 | 字 | zì | (Chinese) character |
| 328 | 光 | guāng | light, brightness; glory, honour |
| 329 | 统 | tǒng | to gather; to unite; to unify; whole |
| 330 | 深 | shēn | deep |
| 331 | 计 | jì | count, calculate, number; haggle over |
| 332 | 吗 | ma | [question tag] |
| 333 | 单 | dān | single, solitary; odd |
| 334 | 跟 | gēn | [indicating relationship, involvement, or comparison] with |
| 335 | 白 | bái | white |
| 336 | 吧 | ba | [modal particle indicating a suggestion or request; marking a question requesting confirmation, or a pause after alternatives] |
| 337 | 治 | zhì | rule, govern; treat, cure; control, harness; punish |
| 338 | 整 | zhěng | whole, entire |
| 339 | 死 | sǐ | die |
| 340 | 花 | huā | spend |
| 341 | 商 | shāng | discuss, consult |
| 342 | 算 | suàn | calculate; regard as |
| 343 | 步 | bù | pace; step |
| 344 | 眼 | yǎn | eye |
| 345 | 必 | bì | must, certainly |
| 346 | 导 | dǎo | to transmit; to lead; to guide; to conduct; to direct |
| 347 | 调 | tiáo | transfer, shift; adjust, turn; harmonise |
| 348 | 钱 | qián | money |
| 349 | 际 | jì | border; edge; boundary; interval; between; inter-; to meet; time; occa… |
| 350 | 务 | wù | affair; business; matter; to be engaged in; to attend to; by all means |
| 351 | 五 | wǔ | five |
| 352 | 万 | wàn | 10,000 |
| 353 | 持 | chí | hold, maintain |
| 354 | 张 | zhāng | [measure word for flat objects and things with a flat surface, and also for bows and mouths] |
| 355 | 容 | róng | hold, contain; tolerate; allow, permit |
| 356 | 越 | yuè | [as in 越…越] (the more … ) the more |
| 357 | 准 | zhǔn | allow, permit |
| 358 | 城 | chéng | town, city; city wall |
| 359 | 团 | tuán | something with a round shape, ball, wad; group; regiment; [short form for 共青团] the League |
| 360 | 根 | gēn | [measure word for long and slender objects] |
| 361 | 包 | bāo | pack, wrap; assure, guarantee; undertake the whole thing; hire |
| 362 | 历 | lì | — |
| 363 | 满 | mǎn | full |
| 364 | 运 | yùn | transport |
| 365 | 造 | zào | make, build; make up |
| 366 | 空 | kōng | empty, hollow; blank; vacant |
| 367 | 元 | yuán | [Chinese currency unit] yuan |
| 368 | 写 | xiě | write |
| 369 | 转 | zhuǎn | change, shift; pass on; rotate, resolve; turn |
| 370 | 找 | zhǎo | look for |
| 371 | 男 | nán | male, man |
| 372 | 取 | qǔ | get, take, fetch |
| 373 | 精 | jīng | clever, shrewd; refined; exquisite; adept, skilled |
| 374 | 究 | jiū | after all; to investigate; to study carefully; Taiwan pr. |
| 375 | 山 | shān | mountain, hill |
| 376 | 言 | yán | speech, word |
| 377 | 啊 | a | [modal particle showing affirmation, approval, or consent] |
| 378 | 且 | qiě | (both … ) and; even, furthermore |
| 379 | 科 | kē | branch of study; division, section |
| 380 | 片 | piàn | [measure word for flat and thin pieces] slice; [with 一 as in 一片 used for a vast expanse of something such as land and water]; [measure word for scene, sound, atmosphere, speech, intention, etc.] |
| 381 | 济 | jì | used in place names associated with the Ji River 济水; surname Ji |
| 382 | 半 | bàn | half |
| 383 | 远 | yuǎn | far |
| 384 | 便 | biàn | [similar to 就] soon afterwards, just |
| 385 | 考 | kǎo | take an examination, test or quiz, test |
| 386 | 失 | shī | lose |
| 387 | 况 | kuàng | moreover; situation |
| 388 | 组 | zǔ | group; set |
| 389 | 连 | lián | [as in 连…都(也）…] even |
| 390 | 基 | jī | base, foundation |
| 391 | 早 | zǎo | early |
| 392 | 确 | què | indeed, really |
| 393 | 级 | jí | [measure word for levels, grades and ranks, etc.]; [measure word for stairs, and steps, etc.] |
| 394 | 请 | qǐng | please (do something); ask (somebody to do something); invite |
| 395 | 设 | shè | set up, establish |
| 396 | 海 | hǎi | sea |
| 397 | 乐 | lè | happy, joyful |
| 398 | 议 | yì | to comment on; to discuss; to suggest |
| 399 | 火 | huǒ | fire |
| 400 | 争 | zhēng | contend for, vie for; argue |
| 401 | 照 | zhào | shine, beam, light up; reflect, mirror |
| 402 | 病 | bìng | illness, ailment |
| 403 | 离 | lí | leave, be away |
| 404 | 类 | lèi | [measure word for a class of similar persons or things] category, kind, sort |
| 405 | 极 | jí | extremely |
| 406 | 断 | duàn | break |
| 407 | 达 | dá | attain, reach; amount to |
| 408 | 较 | jiào | [preceding an adjective or adverb to form a comparison] relatively |
| 409 | 热 | rè | hot |
| 410 | 首 | shǒu | head |
| 411 | 规 | guī | — |
| 412 | 集 | jí | gather, collect; centre on |
| 413 | 校 | xiào | school |
| 414 | 众 | zhòng | numerous |
| 415 | 球 | qiú | ball |
| 416 | 节 | jié | festival, holiday; section, division; node, joint; critical juncture |
| 417 | 专 | zhuān | specially, specifically |
| 418 | 共 | gòng | all together |
| 419 | 权 | quán | power, authority; right |
| 420 | 却 | què | but |
| 421 | 兴 | xīng | prevail, be in fashion; promote; permit, allow |
| 422 | 研 | yán | to grind; study; research |
| 423 | 据 | jù | according to |
| 424 | 房 | fáng | room |
| 425 | 选 | xuǎn | choose |
| 426 | 台 | tái | [measure word for machines, and also performances, etc.] |
| 427 | 史 | shǐ | history |
| 428 | 切 | qiè | cut, carve |
| 429 | 农 | nóng | agriculture, farming |
| 430 | 备 | bèi | get ready; prepare against; be available, be equipped with |
| 431 | 格 | gé | used in 格登; used in 格格 |
| 432 | 功 | gōng | merit, achievement; skill |
| 433 | 千 | qiān | 1,000 |
| 434 | 质 | zhì | quality; substance |
| 435 | 客 | kè | guest; customer |
| 436 | 落 | luò | fall, drop; lower; fall behind |
| 437 | 哪 | nǎ | what, which, where, how |
| 438 | 价 | jià | price |
| 439 | 响 | xiǎng | loud; noisy |
| 440 | 则 | zé | [indicating cause, condition, contrast, etc.] then |
| 441 | 念 | niàn | read aloud; think of, miss; attend school |
| 442 | 参 | cān | used in 参差 |
| 443 | 段 | duàn | section, part; length (of time or distance); paragraph |
| 444 | 育 | yù | give birth; raise, keep; educate |
| 445 | 欢 | huān | — |
| 446 | 证 | zhèng | certificate, papers; proof, evidence |
| 447 | 党 | dǎng | (political) party |
| 448 | 示 | shì | show |
| 449 | 士 | shì | member of the senior ministerial class (old); scholar (old); bachelor… |
| 450 | 企 | qǐ | (bound form) to stand on tiptoe and look; to anticipate; to look forwa… |
| 451 | 易 | yì | easy |
| 452 | 需 | xū | need, require |
| 453 | 随 | suí | along with |
| 454 | 标 | biāo | mark; sign; label; to mark with a symbol, label, lettering etc; to bea… |
| 455 | 习 | xí | (bound form) to practice; to study; habit; custom |
| 456 | 消 | xiāo | disappear, cause to disappear |
| 457 | 息 | xī | (bank) interest; breath; news |
| 458 | 装 | zhuāng | pack, load; fix, install; pretend; play the role of |
| 459 | 举 | jǔ | lift, raise; enumerate, give (an example) |
| 460 | 医 | yī | medical science, medicine; doctor, physician |
| 461 | 底 | dǐ | bottom, base; end (of month or year); draft copy, duplicate copy for file; background |
| 462 | 注 | zhù | annotate; pour, inject; concentrate |
| 463 | 轻 | qīng | light |
| 464 | 青 | qīng | blue, green, cyan |
| 465 | 谁 | shuí | who |
| 466 | 呀 | ya | [sentence final particle] |
| 467 | 支 | zhī | [measure word used for long and inflexible objects such as pens, arrows, cigarettes]; [measure word for troops and fleets]; [measure word for songs and melodies]; [measure word for brightness of electric bulbs, equivalent of watt] |
| 468 | 晚 | wǎn | late |
| 469 | 官 | guān | official, officer |
| 470 | 具 | jù | possess, have |
| 471 | 演 | yǎn | perform, play, show |
| 472 | 府 | fǔ | seat of government; government repository (archive); official residenc… |
| 473 | 土 | tǔ | earth, soil |
| 474 | 紧 | jǐn | tight |
| 475 | 态 | tài | form, appearance; state |
| 476 | 够 | gòu | enough, sufficient |
| 477 | 妈 | mā | ma, mum |
| 478 | 突 | tū | to dash; to move forward quickly; to bulge; to protrude; to break thro… |
| 479 | 局 | jú | bureau, office; state of affairs |
| 480 | 线 | xiàn | line; thread |
| 481 | 技 | jì | skill |
| 482 | 八 | bā | eight |
| 483 | 费 | fèi | expend; consume too much, be wasteful |
| 484 | 号 | hào | [measure word for workmen]; kind, sort |
| 485 | 刚 | gāng | just, barely; just now |
| 486 | 推 | tuī | push |
| 487 | 即 | jí | is; that is |
| 488 | 笑 | xiào | laugh, smile |
| 489 | 存 | cún | exist; deposit; accumulate; check (luggage), leave something with someone |
| 490 | 引 | yǐn | cause, make; guide, lead; quote, cite |
| 491 | 喜 | xǐ | happy, delighted, joyful |
| 492 | 留 | liú | remain, stay; reserve, save for future use; leave behind |
| 493 | 势 | shì | power, influence; momentum, tendency; situation |
| 494 | 马 | mǎ | horse |
| 495 | 双 | shuāng | double; even (as opposed to odd) |
| 496 | 复 | fù | again |
| 497 | 足 | zú | enough, adequate, sufficient |
| 498 | 严 | yán | strict, stern; (air- or water-) tight |
| 499 | 终 | zhōng | finally |
| 500 | 站 | zhàn | stand |
How to use it
Studying from a frequency list
1. Work front to back
The order is the whole point. Twenty new characters from the top of this list are worth more than a hundred from the bottom, because you will meet them far more often.
2. Write them, don't just read them
Handwriting is what makes a character stick. Paste whatever you are working on into the generator — it draws each character stroke by stroke and leaves blank Tianzige cells to write in.
3. Open the entry pages
Every character links to its own page with the stroke order animated, all its readings, and common words built from it — the fastest way to turn a ranked row into something you remember.
4. Read past the list
Use the generator to turn any Chinese text into a worksheet, then check the characters you meet against this ranking.
Frequently asked
Questions about this list
How many Chinese characters do I need to know?
Around 1,000 characters covers the large majority of running text in modern Chinese, and 2,000–3,000 is comfortable adult reading level. This list is in frequency order, so the earlier entries are the ones you will meet most often.
Is the top 500 chinese characters list free to download?
Yes — the full list is free to download as a printable PDF, with no account. There is no practice sheet for a list this long (it would run to about 83 pages), so the practice button opens the worksheet generator in Words mode instead; paste any text there and it builds Tianzige grids with pinyin and stroke order.
What order is the list in?
Strict frequency order, taken from a corpus-derived frequency dictionary of Mandarin Chinese. Rank 1 is the most frequent entry in the corpus, not the easiest or the first one a textbook introduces.
Should I learn characters in frequency order or by HSK level?
If you are following a course, stay with the course and use this list to see which of your characters matter most. If you are self-studying, frequency order is the faster route to reading real text, because it front-loads the characters that appear on every page. Each character's own page shows its HSK level alongside the stroke order and common words.
More lists
Other frequency lists
Top 50 Chinese Characters50 characters · free PDFTop 100 Chinese Characters100 characters · free PDFTop 200 Chinese Characters200 characters · free PDFTop 50 Chinese Words50 words · free PDFTop 100 Chinese Words100 words · free PDFTop 200 Chinese Words200 words · free PDFTop 500 Chinese Words500 words · free PDF
Turn any Chinese text into a worksheet
Paste a lesson, a poem or a news paragraph and print it as Tianzige practice grids with tone-marked pinyin and stroke-order breakdowns — free vector PDF.